


Green Dragon's Protection

by AlexisRedDragon



Series: Kisfyire's Dragonic Journey [5]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-17
Updated: 2019-02-17
Packaged: 2019-10-30 02:21:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17819972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexisRedDragon/pseuds/AlexisRedDragon
Summary: After resting in Zomswei's lair, Kisfyire returns to the forest in the morning, to recover Zomswei's stolen eggs.





	Green Dragon's Protection

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for the wait! I just couldn't bring myself to write again for some reason, but I've finally gotten myself together and got this done!

      The morning air was full of the calls of birds and the rustling of wind amongst the treetops. The sun shone on the damp forest, sparkling in its light after the previous night's rain. Kisfyire emerged from the murky cave that was Zomswei's lair, her limbs aching from the uncomfortable stone she tried to sleep on. Black dragon lairs weren't made for comfort, after all. Despite her uncomfortable night, Kisfyire's heart raced in excitement, now having an idea of where she should be going, but at the back of her mind she remembered that she had a job to do, and recovering stolen eggs from a green dragon would be no easy task. The wet dirt squished underneath her feet, the swamp made even muddier by the recent rainfall. Fortunately, it wasn't long before the ground beneath Kisfyire became more solid as she walked further and further away from the marshlands. Kisfyire breathed a quiet sigh of relief at this, for she was afraid of the possibility of having to trudge through the bog in the opposite direction.

     After roughly an hour of walking, Kisfyire stopped by a fallen log and sat down for a break.  _I really should've eaten earlier,_ Kisfyire thought to herself as she'd opened a pouch of rations. Her dragonic heritage gave her quite a taste for meat, and as a result her rations consisted of a chicken leg, a few small sausage links, small chunks of ham, and a few blocks of cheese for extra flavor. The half-dragon pulled out the chicken drumsticks, brushing her blonde hair out of her face to take a bite out of it. Kisfyire enjoyed for breakfast, as well as the sight of her surroundings. The tall oak trees, the stream running just a few steps away, the flame-colored foliage...

     Wait, what? Kisfyire was suddenly perplexed, looking up at the leaves above her. They were definitely green. Of course they were, it's spring! So why was there a patch of orange and yellow just behind one of those oaks? Kisfyire squinted at it, and started to make out shapes... A slender figure, much like her own, covered in autumn leaves... was that a...?

     "Hello?", Kisfyire called out, staring at the figure. "Who's there?"

     Reluctantly, it seemed, the figure stepped out from behind the tree and started approaching the half-dragon. Kisfyire could see her more clearly now. Her hair and dress were both made of leaves, in shades of crimson to gold, and her skin bore an unusual resemblance to the tree bark around her. This was, very clearly, a dryad. The normally elusive and scarce being was now a few feet away from Kisfyire, maintaining a safe distance. The look in her eyes was one of both curiosity and suspicion. "Who are you? Why are you here?", she inquired, her suspicious look directed at Kisfyire's red scales and ram-like horns, clearly displaying her red dragon side.

     "Oh, I'm Kisfyire Galaelon! I'm looking for a green dragon. Would you happen to know one around here?", Kisfyire replied in a pleasant tone.

     This seemingly innocent question seemed to only make the dryad more distrustful. She raised a leafy eyebrow at Kisfyire. "And why, I ask, should I trust a fire-breathing creature such as yourself with information like that?"

     "Because I have an important job to do! It concerns another dragon, and things could get messy if this isn't handled in a civil manner!", Kisfyire answered honestly.

     "Is that a threat? And are you talking about that black dragon living in the swamp over there?", the dryad questioned in an accusatory tone.

     "No, it's not, and yes, I am! There's nothing I can do if Zomswei decides to take matters into her own hands, but her eggs were stolen! She has the right to be upset! And we don't even know if the green dragon is responsible for this, but Zomswei thinks so, and it's the only lead we have! Please, if you know something, you have to help us!", Kisfyire pleaded to the dryad.

     "Okay, if the green dragon DID steal the eggs... why would I lead you to her? Why would I trust you, a very dangerous-looking person, to enter the lair of our forest's great protector?"

     "Because," Kisfyire sounded more stern now, getting agitated at the dryad's prejudice, "it's the right thing to do. No matter what you think of Zomswei, those eggs are her CHILDREN. I don't know why I have to tell you this, but stealing people's kids is WRONG."

     The dryad's look of suspicion, maintained up to this point, suddenly fell in surprise. Kisfyire had been so calm and friendly before, and she didn't like the idea of angering something that could burn her to the ground. She started to consider the situation, but ultimately relented. "Okay, fine, you're right, I'll take you to her place and you can take it up with her. C'mon, it's this way." The dryad began walking back into the woods, thinking to herself that if Kisfyire tried anything shady, the forest's protector could easily dispatch her with her poisonous breath weapon, anyway.

     The pair walked throughout the forest for several minutes. Kisfyire was still mildly annoyed, because this was about the same path that she would've taken anyway. That is, until they found a waterfall that lead to the stream Kisfyire had noticed earlier. The dryad gestured at it, stating, "Our guardian's lair is behind the waterfall." Kisfyire wasn't surprised, as hiding things behind waterfalls was the oldest trick in the book, and green dragons loved making their lairs that way, but this waterfall looked like it had a sheer rock face behind it, definitely nowhere a dragon could enter from.

     Kisfyire stared at the torrents of water pouring down, perplexed. She turned to the dryad, and asked in confusion, "How do we get in? It doesn't look like there's anything behind it, or means to get inside..."

     "You need the password", the dryad replied matter-of-factly, turning to the waterfall, clearing her throat, and simply saying, "Verdant badger!". Suddenly, the water started to part, forming a large archway almost 30 feet tall, water continuing to plummet on either side of it, and the wall of stone within the arch's borders split down the middle and creaked open, revealing the entrance to a cave full of vegetation, and a stone brick bridge seemed to build itself rapidly, until it reached the land in front of it, forming a path into the cave. "The guardian is within. Don't touch anything on your way to see her, and if you really mean no harm, you'll come out fine."

     Kisfyire had to take a moment to process what had just happened. Magic was nothing new to her, but she'd never seen anything quite like that. She cautiously walked up the bridge and into the cave. The dryad followed, and the entrance creaked shut. "How do we get out, though?", Kisfyire asked as she turned to face the dryad.

     "Just say the password again", the dryad answered in the same matter-of-fact tone. "Although, we'll have to change it now that you've heard it. Anyway...", the dryad suddenly shouted into the cave, "Amaryl! Somebody's here to see you!"

     Once more, Kisfyire's ears were assaulted by the noise of a dragon's heavy footfalls echoing in a cave, this time occasionally accompanied by the crash of vegetation being forcibly knocked or stepped on. A pointed face came into view, looking like it was covered in algae in its green color. Rather than immediately get aggressive like Zomswei, Amaryl stared at Kisfyire in curiosity. "Calla, who is this? What business do they have with me?", she inquired, directing the question at the dryad.

     "A half red dragon, half elf by the looks of her. Her name is Kisfyire, and she wanted to talk to you about something concerning that black dragon."

     Kisfyire felt yet another twinge of annoyance. Couldn't she speak for herself? "Yes, about Zomswei! Her eggs were stolen recently, and she seems to think you have something to do with it. Is that true?", Kisfyire questioned, staring up at the green dragon, showing no fear.

     Amaryl seemed to think about her response for the briefest of moments, before answering. "No, I know nothing about her eggs! I don't even go to the swamp anyway!"

     "Really? Because Calla over here seemed to think so."

     At this, the room fell silent. Amaryl and Calla were staring at each other like they were having a telepathic conversation. Calla looked ashamed and embarrassed, and Amaryl just looked disappointed in her. Kisfyire watched them awkwardly, not sure how to break the sudden tension. Eventually, though, Amaryl let out a sigh. "Alright, I did it. I've stolen Zomswei's eggs. But you have to understand", Amaryl added in a pleading tone, "I'm infertile. I've always wanted children of my own, but I can't have any, and she just  _leaves her eggs out,_ just  _hides_ them like that's decent parenting! I couldn't stand it, so yes, I stole the eggs to raise as my own. But I'm taking good care of them, I swear! They're still in an acid bath, like they're supposed to be, Calla and I made sure of it!"

     Kisfyire stared at Amaryl in surprise, not quite expecting Amaryl's reasoning behind her crime, and pondered for a moment on what her next move should be. "Okay, I think I understand. Yeah, you're right, no good parent just leaves their eggs outside and unattended, even if they're hidden. But if Zomswei was so angry about them being stolen, maybe she does really care about them, right? I think you should go talk to her about this, and come to some kind of agreement. How's that sound?"

     Amaryl considered this for a moment, with both Kisfyire and Calla staring at her in anticipation. "Okay. That sounds like a good idea. I'll talk to her. But you're coming with me, because this was your idea, alright?". The way she worded the sentence made it apparent that that wasn't a question, but Kisfyire would've agreed anyway. Calla said "verdant badger" to the entrance once again, and it opened up as before. Amaryl crouched down to allow Kisfyire and Calla onto her back, and flew to the swamps in a fraction of the time it would take to walk there. As they landed and Amaryl allowed the pair off her back, she looked down at them and whispered, "Don't interrupt unless I say so. This is between me and her." Amaryl then turned to the entrance of Zomswei's lair, and barked into the darkness, "Zomswei! I'd like a word!"

     The loud crashing of dragon footsteps rang in Kisfyire's ears for the third time, and Zomswei's head protruded out of the mouth of the cave, walking into the sunlight with a look of smugness on her face. "Ah, Amaryl. You're here to return my eggs, yes? I knew you wouldn't be able to stand the fear of my vengeance for lo-"

     "FEAR!? OF _YOU_!?", Amaryl roared, causing Zomswei to shrink back in surprise. "DO YOU THINK I'M HERE BECAUSE I WAS  _AFRAID_ OF YOU!? I'M  _HERE_ BECAUSE  _YOU_ NEED TO BE TOLD HOW TO BE A PARENT! YOU DON'T JUST  _LEAVE_ YOUR EGGS OUTSIDE LIKE LAWN ORNAMENTS, YOU TAKE  _CARE_ OF THEM LIKE ANY DECENT PARENT WOULD! DO YOU HAVE  _ANY_  IDEA HOW CARELESS THAT IS!? WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELF!?"

     Zomswei looked a little bit like a frightened dog at this point. Amaryl was much bigger than she was, and Zomswei hadn't expected her to be so angry. Kisfyire was just as surprised as the black dragon was, as she'd expected Zomswei to be the one yelling in this scenario. Kisfyire and Calla exchanged a look, both wondering how explosive Zomswei's response would be. The black dragon remained still, however, before timidly uttering, "Isn't... isn't that what you're SUPPOSED to do, though? You don't keep your eggs in your lair, you leave them somewhere nearby and hide them. That's what black dragons have always done, isn't it?"

     It was Amaryl's turn to be surprised, as she'd expected Zomswei to just be angry. Once again she took a moment to consider her word choice, before replying in a surprisingly warm tone, "Well, what others tell you is right isn't always the best thing. No wonder you all are so angry all the time, the best role models you have are crocodiles! Tell you what, I'll return your eggs if you promise to take proper care of them, okay? I'll help you however I can, as my mother made sure I knew how to raise a clutch of eggs when I was a young dragon." Zomswei silently nodded, too ashamed and shocked to speak. Amaryl turned back to Kisfyire and Calla. "Okay, you two, we're going back to get those eggs. I'll need your help to transport them safely."

     Calla gave a little bow. "Of course, Amaryl! I'll assist you any way I can."

     Kisfyire nodded in agreement. "Yeah! I'll help too!" Amaryl nodded back in appreciation, crouching down to allow the girls onto her back once more, returning to the waterfall lair. Calla lead Kisfyire to the black dragon eggs, which were sitting in a large tub full of acid, made of sturdy wood. The pair carefully lifted up the tub and carried it outside the cave, hoisting it up onto Amaryl's back and holding it steady as Amaryl flew back to the marsh. As they flew, Kisfyire wondered how they'd moved the eggs to Amaryl's lair in the first place. Zomswei sheepishly sat outside the swamp cave as they returned, and Amaryl discussed with her where a good place to keep them would be. After a bit of waiting, during which Kisfyire's arms started getting sore from the weight of the tub she was holding, Zomswei lead the pair of them to a chamber next to a larger one that housed Zomswei's hoard, a pile of coins and metal trinkets. They set the tub down gently, Kisfyire breathing a sigh of relief as her shoulders felt like they were about to give out.

     After the deed was done, Amaryl smiled down at the half-dragon and dryad pair. "Thank you for your help! Incidentally, Kisfyire, was this all you came to the forest for? I'm sure we can be of assistance if there's anything else you need.", Amaryl offered.

     "Yeah, that was what I came for! But if you need more parenting help, my own parents did a great job raising me! My dad's a red dragon, and I'm sure he'd like to get to know you two!", Kisfyire cheerfully declared. Zomswei looked like she wanted to object at first, but reconsidered, giving a brief nod of agreement. Amaryl nodded as well, but more eagerly. "Fantastic! Thank you both so much! But, uh, could one of you help me get out? I was kinda lost in the forest the other night, and I still don't know how to get out.."

     "Why, of course, it'll only take a minute! There's a path to the nearest town fairly close by, I'll take you there before I head home." Once more, Kisfyire and Calla rode on Amaryl's back, this time heading west from where they were before. Kisfyire watched below as the trees grew less and less numerous, until a path became visible. Amaryl let Kisfyire off just at the edge of the woods, with the town Kisfyire had visited before entering the forest just ahead. Kisfyire gave one last "Thank you!", before walking towards her next destination... a proper nap!


End file.
